Transparency of Western Military and Security Cooperation

Focus Areas

Central Asia has emerged as a priority on the map of security interests of Western governments. Security cooperation has included working together with local security services in the War against Terror, as well as on efforts to reform law enforcement agencies and strengthen civil oversight over the security sector in the region. More recently, greater strategic priority has been placed on Central Asia as a transit region for military supply destined for U.S. and ISAF troops in Afghanistan. These trends have led to a substantial increase of Western military and security cooperation with Central Asian governments. Such cooperation faces significant challenges and runs a high risk of contributing to destabilizing political trends in the region.

The Central Eurasia Project provides funding for projects that increase the transparency of Western military and security cooperation by monitoring pertinent developments and trends, particularly those that impact wider foreign policy agendas of Western countries towards Central Asia. We are interested in proposals for projects that provide analysis and reporting on Western military and security cooperation’s impacts on human rights performance, democratic governance, opportunities and incentives for corruption, lack of budget transparency and distortions in terms of democratic oversight over military and security actors in the region. Think tanks, academic institutions, independent news providers and watchdog organizations are eligible for funding.